The applicant is aware of various apparatus and methods for attaching electrical connectors to ribbon cable as disclosed in the following:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Inventor(s) ______________________________________ 4,566,164 Brown et al 4,623,293 Brown et al 4,682,391 Hall, Jr. et al 4,839,962 Long, Jr. 4,870,752 Brown et al 4,903,403 Brown et al 5,074,038 Fath ______________________________________
In most of these references, the ribbon cable is fed through the preassembled connector in an opening between the cover and the connector housing of the connector. This restricts the length of the ribbon or requires extensive manipulation to string the connectors in the desired sequence. The preassembled connectors are not separated into the cover and connector housing members. U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,164 discloses a machine to separate the preassembled connector prior to attaching the connector onto the ribbon cable. However, separating the preassembled connector requires several components and operations in the machine. A shuttle receives the connector from the loading location and separates the connector. The separated connector is inserted into the press by the connector loading assembly and the press mates the cover and the connector housing with the ribbon cable between. The orientation of the connector with respect to the cover being above or below the ribbon cable is determined when the connector is disposed in the shuttle. A magazine loaded with connectors dispenses a connector into a trap with a gate and the connector is received in the shuttle in the selected, cover up or cover down, orientation. Thus, selection of orientation is prior to separation and the same shuttle may have a connector in either the cover up or cover down orientation.
The machines of the prior art are useful, however there is a need for more rapid assembly of connectors on the ribbon cable with better control of the assembly and reduced assembly costs. The machine of the present invention provides the improved assembly and, in addition, provides electrical testing of each connector when attached to the ribbon cable.